Fifty word challenge: results and a fresh prompt!

in fiftywords •  7 years ago  (edited)

Welcome to a new week of #fiftywords! This post shares last week's highlights and provides a new prompt for this week's 50-word adventures.

I usually get these posts out on Sundays to give everyone a full week to mull over the prompt and get 'er done. My apologies for being a day late. Yesterday was the last day of "Write Club," a 16-week writing boot camp I've been involved in, and I had to complete my final story revision. In case you didn't know this about me, I am a newly dedicated fiction writer and am hard at work on my craft. I'll be posting a retrospective on my Write Club experience in the coming days.

The 50-word challenge is light and fun, yet skill-building at the same time, and it has been a wonderful side-kick to the more serious and lengthy pieces I've been working on. I write a 50-word piece for the prompt each week, and enjoy reading every entry that comes in from the Fifty Worders. I've been amazed to see some of the mini-masterpieces that come out of this project. You guys are the bees knees!

About the 50-word challenge


This weekly challenge starts with a one-word prompt. Fifty-word writers use the prompt to create a micro-fiction story in just 50 words.

We are continuing the #fiftywords story challenge launched by @miniature-tiger who has been developing a seafaring strategy game called Archipelago for the Utopian.io open source community. Check out the linked post for the latest update.

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(Image credit: Original image by pixel2013, Pixabay)

Last week's 50-word stories


Last week's prompt -- space -- inspired fiftyworders like no prompt before. As you would expect, we had stories about outer space, including some fabulous science, history and sci-fi pieces, as well as stories about people needing space from other people, stories of mentally spaced out people, a story about war breaking out over parking spaces and more. As usual, picking a story or two to highlight proved nearly impossible because so many of them are so good!

Here is the complete list of last week's mini-masterpieces. If you haven't done so, I hope you read them all. If you're pressed for time, I've shared a few of the highlights below.

Shining star of the week


The story I fell in love with this last week makes me laugh out loud every time I read it.

Be careful what you wish for, by @deirdyweirdy, tells the story of a woman demanding space from the crowd as she attempts to catch a flying magic lamp, and it has a hilarious twist. The unfortunate timing -- that she makes that wish just as she catches the lamp, and the genie emerges -- means her wish is granted and she is sent hurtling into nothingness.

This piece artfully demonstrates the amazing power of language and story, and I am amazed anew by how much can be told in a mere 50 words. Great job, @deirdyweirdy. And as always, reading the hilarious comment stream that ensues from your stories is an added bonus!

More must-read entries


Guys, there are so many great little stories! I love them all. But here are just a few more spectacular highlights from the week:

This week's 50-word story prompt

The prompt for this week is “wing.” Put on your thinking caps, #fiftywords friends!

Guidelines


Please review carefully. Images must not be pulled from any Internet site.

  1. Write a story in 50 words. (It's especially cool if you can hit 50 words exactly!)
  2. Use the #fiftywords tag, and post the link in the comments of this post.
  3. Be sure to read and upvote the work of the other participants. It's all about community!
  4. Use only artwork that you have the right to use, and attribute it properly. See the “Proper use of images” topic below.

Proper use of images


Proper use of images means one of the following:

  1. It is your image.
  2. The image is public domain, or under creative commons licensing rules.
  3. If it is not one of the above, you have actual permission.

Be sure to mention that the image is yours, or attribute its source. And if it's not public domain or creative license, be sure to state that you have permission.

I have two resources for you, from my friends at @thewritersblock:

And speaking of #thewritersblock, if you would like editing help for your stories before posting them, follow the tag to find them on Discord.

Deadline for this week: Saturday, May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!)

The 50-word story clan

I'm mentioning you here if have participated in the #fiftywords short story challenge in the past. Please let me know if you would like your tag removed in this or future posts. (Note that I am starting to reduce the list. Those who have not participated for a long time or are not active on Steemit will eventually drop from the mentions.)

@ablaze, @adigitalife, @agmoore, @ahmadmanga, @aksounder, @alheath, @andyartland, @anixio, @anjkara, @awhsarada
@beginningtoend, @bentheredonethat, @bhop42moro, @bitsendpieces, @botefarm @brandonsadventur, @bryarose23
@caleblailmusik, @carn, @cheekah, @cizzo, @clacrax, @creatr
@damianjayclay, @deirdyweirdy, @diebitch, @dirge, @divineinyang, @douglasbalmain
@eaglespirit, @elementm, @emwalker, @enjar, @eroticabian, @evgsk
@feebie, @felt.buzz, @fitinfun, @foxfiction
@galactichunter, @godwine
@hope-k
@iamthegray, @ilt-yodith, @intheory, @isa93, @isufbakaj
@jadams2k18, @janine-ariane, @jakeybrown, @jayna, @josecarrasquero
@kaelci, @kainos-success, @kamalkennedy, @kimberlylane, @kingernie, @ktfabler
@ldacey-laforge, @lonestarpoet, @loraine, @lucylin, @luiskrupaz
@Mammasitta, @marie-jay, @mark-dahl, @metzli, @mikesthoughts, @mineopoly, @miniature-tiger, @momzillanc, @mydivathings
@naquoya, @naso, @navaneeth, @negativer, @niallon11
@onewithearth
@paintingangels, @photovitamin, @pixiehunter, @poeticnest, @preparedwombat, @prydefoltz, @puppetmaster1111, @purpledaisy57, @pyrowngs
@rodgriocabrera
@saoirseronan, @sciencevienna, @sharoonyasir, @skoolielove, @spalatino, @stayoutofherz, @steemitdiversify, @sukhasanasister, @superjongky
@tanglebranch, @thatlovechild, @theblackcrow, @therosepatch, @tiatu, @tibra, @tin-tin, @tony-duke, @tuwore, @tygertyger
@udayakumarage, @upen-srv
@vaitelavicius, @vivek-g
@wales, @whitewizard, @wilfredn, @wordsalmighty, @wylde
@yimiipsa, @yomibolo
@zen-art

Thanks so much for reading. As always, your upvote, comment and resteem support is greatly appreciated!

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Stardom at last! and considering there were so many great entries this week, I'm honoured. Thanks a lot Jayna and all who were kind enough to read, vote or comment.

I just saw this post last night, hopefully I can just squeeze by: https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@theironfelix/wings-of-death

Of course! Welcome to #fiftywords!

Yay :^D

Thanks for this great contest

Here's my entry;

https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@desmoniac/on-the-wing-of-love

Welcome, @desmoniac!

Good

I know it's a little late but here's my entry as well.
Hope you'll like it!

No you’re fine. Deadline is tomorrow, midnight central time... or actually anytime before I write the next post on Sunday. 😊

Hello @jayna! Loved working on this week prompt. Hope you enjoy my story as I did while creating it!

To fly or to be invisible?

Thanks for your entry for this week's prompt!

Adding mine here. I'm really starting to look forward to writing these each week! :) Thanks!

undiscovered discovery

Me too! Isn’t it fun? Thanks for becoming a regular contributor, @negativer!

Made it! My entry, Apocalypse Just Now, is officially up. This is fun and challenging.

Awesome. I’m so glad you’ve joined the challenge, @anikekirsten! Warning: it is rather addictive.

Oh, I hope so, haha. It's nice to exercise short short fiction. Definitely good for honing those writing skills.

It really is. Finding ways to take out fluff words and put in more impactful words is a great skill to develop!

You've drawn me in once more, Dear Jayna!

Thank you ever so much for this encouragement to be inspired... ;)

"Blowing Amid the Gloaming" ~ a Poem by Duncan Cary Palmer

I hope you enjoy my offering.

😄😇😄

@creatr

You do absolutely everything with flare, don’t you, @creatr?

Well, thank you for such a complimentary question... :D

We try, keep trying, and then try to try harder... ;)

Thank you so much for being a regular contributor!

You're welcome

It's always fun though. I should also thank you for always hosting

Welcome to the 50-word challenge!

Thank you for joining the challenge!

I'm honoured

Yay! I’m behind but will be doing a story reading blitz in the next couple of days.

Thanks a lot @jayna It is great to see fiftywords getting busier and busier each week with more and more regulars...

Thanks for the opportunity, this is something I've had in mind for some time:
https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@marie-jay/death-of-icarus-fiftywords-story

Great! I’m glad the #fiftywords challenge provided the opportunity to get your story written.

Yay, I’m glad to see you back for more 50-word fun!

Yay, you’re back, @pyrowngs!

Yep! I sort of fell off the planet for a while. ;) -got busy with life stuff.

That happens to the best of us. 😊

Thank you for your 50-word challenge entry!

Have a wonderful week everyone I look forward to reading what many create this week.

I'm going to start getting into this challenge from now on. With Camp NaNo done, I've got some writing time to fill up. Thanks for hosting it, Jayna!

Hooray! Looking forward to your stories, @anikekirsten.

Here's mine

Nice one! Thank you for being a consistent contributor to the 50-word fun!

thanks for keeping it going. they're fun puzzles to me and I think a great way for new people to join something to do with writing on the platform.

I agree. The breadth of writing experience and skill is vast, and that makes it especially interesting.

Here's mine! Microfiction is in some ways far more challenging than the longer stuff. Phew!
https://steemit.com/fiftywords/@foxfiction/pegasus-fiftyword-challenge

Great work. Thanks so much for your #fiftywords entry, @foxfiction!

Heyyyy I know I know I’m late 🙊
Crazy week
But here’s my entry A 5 Year Old’s Flight

You're right on time. I'm just writing up the new post for the coming week!

Congrats to the bright stars 🌟.
My piece was missing among the mentions @jayna

Oh shoot! I was so afraid I would miss one, and I thought I double and triple checked. Thank you for letting me know. I tucked you right in the middle! Great story, and obviously direct from personal experience, right?

For anyone who missed it, here's @thatlovechild's story from last week: BraceFaced.

Haha Yh that can happen since Artificial intelligence hasn’t taken over humanity yet.
It indeed was inspired by personal experience..can’t wait to take the damn thing off!

  ·  6 years ago (edited)

I hear you. Two of my three kids had to have braces twice. So that’s five sets of braces for three kids! I probably could have bought a tropical vacation home with that investment, but they do have nice smiles!

A story of a mother’s sacrifice and delayed gratification.. Amazing 👏🏾

Nice post

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